How to Make Your Digital Photos Look Better In Three Easy Steps

Using only free software, anyone can improve the look of their digital photos quickly and easily.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Computer
• Image editing software
• Digital Photos

1. Find a photo editing program:
   
   Most new computers are pre-bundled with some sort of digital imaging software, as are nearly all new digital cameras. These programs are too numerous to list, but some searching through your applications folder or start menu will usually lead to a suitable program. Similarly, the CD included with your new digital camera should have a program on it.
   
   If you do not have such a program, there are many available on the internet for free. The Gimp is a particularly popular program, which is similar to Adobe's excellent Photoshop. Just search for "The Gimp."

2. Once you have the software installed and the program up and running, load your pictures onto your computer. It is helpful to place them all in one easy to find, well organized folder.

3. Open up an image with your image editing program. It is wise to immediately save the image under a different name - this way, no matter how many changes you make, you still have the original, unaltered file to revert back to if some change goes wrong.

4. Color Balance
   
   One procedure is fixing the color balance. Many digital cameras will not always calculate the proper white balance when taking a picture. This can leave your images too red or too blue, commonly, but could alter the color in a number of ways. Often flourescent lighting or mixed lighting can cause incorrect color.
   
   In Photoshop, you go to the "image/adjustment/color balance" menu to do these adjustments. You may have to search through the menus of your particular program.
   
   Usually, you just move sliders around until you find an optimal look. If your picture is too red, for example, find the "Red/Cyan" slider, and move the slider away from the red side, towards cyan. Move it slowly at first - a small change can make a big difference. Your program may not use sliders, but it still should have a way to 'move' the balance away from one color towards another.

5. Contrast
   
   The other procedure is to increase the contrast of your photos. Much of the difference between expensive and cheap camera lenses is the amount of contrast they can reproduce in the image. Luckily, you can adjust this in your image editing program.
   
   Again, in Photoshop this setting is fond under the "image/adjustment/brightness-contrast" menu. It may be different in your program - explore.
   
   And again, it will probably be a slider that you use to make the adjustment. Most programs will offer a preview of your change, so watch the image and increase the contrast until you like your image's look. Don't overdo it. You can also fiddle with the brightness if you want. I believe what you are doing is increasing the amount of steps between the darkest and brightest elements in your picture.

6. Saturaion
   
   This is an optional step, and may not always make your picture look better. However, if you have a picture where the color is washed out, it's worth a try, and is as simple as the last two steps.
   
   Just find the saturation adjustment in your program, and move the slider until you are happy with the vibrance/richness of the color. Again, don't overdo it - a little change makes a big difference.

7. After just these three steps, your unexceptional photos can look drastically better.

Tips & Warnings

• Of course, there are many, many more advanced ways of tweaking your digital photos. Explore the different effects and ways of manipulating your photos in your editing program - remember, as long as you save the altered photo under a new name, you can't irreparably damage your pictures.
• Again, once you open a picture file, re-save it under a new name. This way you will always have the unaltered original, just in case you want to undo any tweaks in the future.

[tmzucker]

on 9/28/2009 Excellent tips! Just an FYI. Step 6 Saturation is spelled wrong.

[Elizabethknows]

on 5/20/2008 good tips:)